After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 42

You can knit some little trinkets for me.

“I just ran into Doctor Yu in the elevator lobby,” Xu Lian explained gently. “I heard Qin Shuyue fainted, and we wanted to come see her.”

Gao Yin immediately let out an “Aie!” to clear his name. “Not ‘we,’ it’s just you. I never intended to come see her.”

Xu Lian gave a soft hum of affirmation, his gaze shifting toward Qin Shuyue lying on the bed. “It was I who wanted to see her.”

Zhu Lingyi’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, though her voice remained nonchalant. She glanced at Xu Lian and asked, “Are you two very close?”

Seeing the atmosphere of the conversation turning increasingly strange, Gao Yin hastily interrupted, “Xu Lian spends all day and night cooped up in the lab researching some new topic of his. Besides, our classes aren’t even in the same building as the Little Chef… we basically never run into each other.”

He nudged Xu Lian with his elbow, sounding puzzled. “Are you close with her?”

Xu Lian shook his head. “Not close.”

“Well, there you go then!” Gao Yin laughed twice, desperately trying to break the awkward tension.

But no one paid him any mind.

Xu Lian’s gaze was fixed intently on Qin Shuyue, while Zhu Lingyi stood tall and straight, arms crossed over her chest, her eyes unblinking as they rested on Xu Lian.

Standing to the side, Gao Yin could practically see the smell of gunpowder thickening; most of that smoke was emanating from Zhu Lingyi.

Though Gao Yin was utterly bewildered, he had enough sense at a time like this to tug on Xu Lian’s sleeve. “I say, did Zhu Lingyi eat gunpowder today? Why is she being so aggressive?”

Xu Lian also shook his head. “I don’t know either.”

He sighed, and after taking one last look at Qin Shuyue on the bed, he slowly raised his head to look at Zhu Lingyi. “Miss Qin’s body is trembling.”

“Patients with severe hypoglycemia may experience convulsive or seizure like symptoms; it’s a normal phenomenon,” Zhu Lingyi said, her eyes narrowing as she watched him, a dark glint flickering within them.

Xu Lian found himself momentarily at a loss for words. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed his words.

Seeing the two of them clashing back and forth, Gao Yin scratched his head until it was sore, unable to fathom what this was all about.

With a sigh, he glanced down at his wrist and then pulled on Xu Lian’s arm, muttering in confusion, “The two of you are acting so strange today.”

A moment later, he waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, alright, we have a ‘meeting’ tonight. Let’s head back to the dorm first to change. We didn’t intend to create extra trouble anyway.”

“But since she’s in your dorm, if anything actually happens, the people at the Old Mansion will likely make a big fuss. It’s better that we came early to understand the situation and prepare accordingly.”

“Xu Lian is clumsy with words and can’t explain things clearly,” he sighed. “Being cooped up in the lab all day is going to rot his brain.”

With that, he dragged Xu Lian toward the exit, pointing at him with an air of command. “Big brother is taking you out to relax, otherwise you really will study yourself stupid. I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer today; you have to come to the guys’ gathering. I’ll tie you up and drag you there if I have to. Let’s go, let’s go!”

Gao Yin was ready to slip away, wanting to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, Xu Lian broke free from his grip and asked, “Is Miss Qin’s illness very serious?”

Zhu Lingyi lowered her gaze to look at the weak, pale face on the bed. The expression in her eyes shifted slightly before returning to normal.

“This is not for you to worry about.”

Zhu Lingyi pulled her gaze away from the bed and took a decisive step forward, striding out of the room. “I didn’t realize Qin Shuyue had such charm that she could make both of you stop in your tracks. Truly impressive.”

Gao Yin and Xu Lian looked at each other. Gao Yin’s eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets. “What does she mean? What does Zhu Lingyi mean by that?”

He grabbed Xu Lian by both arms. “Is Zhu Lingyi misunderstanding something? Is she?!”

He closed his eyes. “It’s all your fault, Xu Lian! Why on earth are you so concerned about this Little Chef? Did she give you some kind of love potion?”

His tone shifted as he opened his eyes to look at him warily.

“Wait, that’s not right. Xu Lian, I’ve known you since we were kids, and aside from your sister and Zhu Lingyi, I’ve never seen you talk to any girl like this.”

He took a deep breath and poked Xu Lian’s arm. “Tell me… tell me honestly have you fallen for this little girl?”

But before Xu Lian could answer, Gao Yin closed his eyes in grief, his voice carrying a hint of a wail.

“Lian! You can’t love her.”

Gao Yin pleaded earnestly, trying to move him with emotion and reason.

However, Xu Lian slowly pushed up his glasses, giving no indication of whether he was listening to Gao Yin’s wailing.

His sharp gaze fell upon Zhu Lingyi’s receding back.

He parted his lips and said softly, “So sour.”

“Sour?”

The comment was completely nonsensical!

Gao Yin craned his neck and sniffed the air. “What’s sour? Where is it sour? Xu Lian, have you actually gone mad from reading too many books?”

“It’s nothing,” Xu Lian said warmly.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Gao Yin with a faint smile. “Alright. I’ll go back to the dorm to change first.”

Gao Yin’s eyes lit up, thinking the bookworm had finally agreed to grace them with his presence and go have some fun. He didn’t expect Xu Lian’s next sentence to be:

“I need to get back to the lab quickly.”

Gao Yin instantly withered where he stood.

“Hey, hey, you being such a hard-working student really gives me a deep sense of guilt…”

Xu Lian did not reply again. Instead, he turned back and let his gaze linger on Qin Shuyue for a moment.

Qin Shuyue’s brow was knit tight, and she was curled up on the bed, trembling uneasily like a little shrimp, wrapping herself up tightly.

Beside the bed, more than half a bag of glucose remained on the IV stand.

“My mentor and I are researching a new type of anti-depressant—one that reduces side effects while maintaining efficacy. This research has cost me a vast amount of time and energy, but the effectiveness of the produced agent is negligible. We haven’t been able to make a breakthrough.”

He withdrew his gaze. The mist of confusion in his eyes was instantly replaced by a flash of determination.

“But I must find the answer.”

Gao Yin didn’t hear the rest of what he said.

He had never liked medicine; it was difficult, required too much memorization, and the lectures were like reading a heavenly script, he couldn’t understand a string of words once they were put together. He really wondered if he and Xu Lian had been born into the wrong families.

One came from a medical dynasty for generations yet lacked even a shred of medical talent. His father would pace around with a cane, frantic with worry unable to beat the knowledge into him or teach it to him. If it weren’t for the fact that his own health was poor and he had only managed to have this one son in his forties, he truly would have wanted to have two more.

If the ancestral legacy were to end in his hands, he wouldn’t have the face to meet his ancestors after he died.

Gao Yin often heard the old man muttering at home in grief: “Look at the Zhu family. That girl is so sharp and decisive taking over the entire group at such a young age, her career flourishing and her net worth soaring. Then look at my unfilial son…”

Every time it reached that point, the old man would close his eyes, unable to even look at him.

Gao Yin didn’t much care.

Everyone has their own dreams. One isn’t born to be a puppet, following a path planned out by family and spending a lifetime researching a field they don’t like.

Gao Yin thought he would go insane if he did that.

Qin Shuyue was having a nightmare again.

Ever since her family fell apart, she frequently had nightmares.

She would always dream of how her father had coldly and resolutely abandoned her, leaving the family without a backward glance; how her grandmother had looked at her with cold indifference, not even letting her step through the door; and how her mother-in-law had cried until she went blind and died of a heart attack.

She herself had to shoulder the heavy burden of life alone, enduring endless pressure and working desperately to make money to save her mother.

She saw how her interpersonal relationships in high school had been trampled and ruined by her own actions, step by step, leading to her being twenty-two years old without a single friend by her side.

Such a failure. Her life was such a failure.

Her very birth was a mistake.

Amidst her wandering, chaotic consciousness, she blurred back into reality. She didn’t know when she had opened her eyes, but she stared blankly at the ceiling with dull eyes.

Beside her was the busy figure of Yu Xian, while she herself lay limp on the bed like a discarded rag doll.

“Doctor Yu.” She pulled herself up to lean against the headboard. When she spoke, her voice was unusually hoarse, startling even herself.

Yu Xian clearly hadn’t expected her to be awake and was slightly surprised.

She then picked up the teapot from the cabinet, poured a cup of warm water, and brought it to Qin Shuyue’s lips, asking kindly, “Are you feeling any better?”

Qin Shuyue took the cup and drank it all in one go.

She nodded and gave a soft “mm.” “Thank you, Doctor Yu. I feel much better.”

Yu Xian simply couldn’t reconcile the well behaved, fluffy bunny like girl before her with the girl from a few days ago who had recklessly charged into Zhu Lingyi’s study and caused a scene.

The difference between the two was night and day.

But Qin Shuyue seemed to have forgotten about that incident; she smiled gently at Yu Xian.

Yu Xian was momentarily dazed.

She took the cup from Qin Shuyue’s hand. “Aside from hypoglycemia, you’re also anemic…” As she spoke, she placed the plastic bag from the cabinet onto Qin Shuyue’s lap.

“This is the medicine I’ve prescribed for you. The dosages are written on the labels. Remember to take them on time. I’ll be coming here every Sunday to do a follow-up check.”

Qin Shuyue froze, looking at the large bag of medicine on her lap with a complex expression.

“This I can’t take this.”

She shook her head.

Yu Xian looked puzzled. “Why can’t you take it?”

“I haven’t paid for it yet.” Qin Shuyue lifted her eyes stubbornly.

Hearing this, Yu Xian’s expression gradually softened. “Oh, you mean that.”

She asked abruptly, “Can you do handicrafts?”

Qin Shuyue clearly hadn’t expected such a question. She nodded somewhat blankly. “I… I can do a little.”

Yu Xian finally broke into a smile. “Then when you have free time, you can make some handicrafts for me. Like knitting scarves, making yarn balls… anything. Just knit whatever you know how to do for me.”

“Consider that payment for your medicine.”

“But…” This time it was Qin Shuyue’s turn to be confused. “Why do you want those things?”

“There are some elderly people with terminal illnesses who have no children to look after them. Knitting these things for them provides some comfort to their hearts.”

Yu Xian’s eyes flickered as she smiled. “Perhaps you don’t understand. But the elderly especially those who know their lives are coming to an end often find themselves missing these little trinkets as the end nears.”

“I’m not good with my hands; I know nothing about origami or knitting.”

Looking at the still-frowning Qin Shuyue, she smiled and patted the girl’s head. “If you have time, you can also come and spend time with them. That is far more important than money.”

Only then did Qin Shuyue finally relent, obediently accepting the medicine.

“Thank you, Doctor Yu.”

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